Synonyms

refute

American

[ri-fyoot] / rɪˈfyut /

verb (used with object)

refuted, refuting

to prove to be false or erroneous, as an opinion or charge.

Synonyms:

confute, rebut, disprove
to prove (a person) to be in error.

Synonyms:

confute

refute British

/ rɪˈfjuː-, rɪˈfjuːt, ˈrɛfjʊtəbəl, ˌrɛfjʊtəˈbɪlɪtɪ, rɪˌfjuː- /

verb

(tr) to prove (a statement, theory, charge, etc) of (a person) to be false or incorrect; disprove
to deny (a claim, charge, allegation, etc)

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Usage

The use of refute to mean deny is thought by many people to be incorrect

Other Word Forms

refutability noun
refutable adjective
refutably adverb
refuter noun
self-refuted adjective
self-refuting adjective
unrefuted adjective
unrefuting adjective

Etymology

Origin of refute

First recorded in 1505–15; from Latin refūtāre “to check, suppress, refute, rebut,” equivalent to re- re- + -fūtāre presumably, “to beat” (attested only with the prefixes con- and re-; confute )

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023